Plural color doctor knife



W. P. ROSE PLURAL COLOR DOCTOR KNIFE July 23, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1955 III July 23, 1957 w. P. ROSE 2,800,075

'* PLURAL COLOR DOCTOR KNIFE Filed Feb. 17, 1955 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nvmvron. Mam/5.0 A 2014- ZZZ/M41 United States Patent O" PLURAL COLOR DOCTORv KNIFE- Werner P. Rose, Oakland, N. J.

Application February 17, 1955, Serial No. 488,924 1 Claim. (Cl. 101115) This invention relates to a plural color doctor knife for use with textile printing machines.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide color doctor knife for printing textile material wherein the different color pigments run through passages closely parallel to one another with positive assurance that the different pigments will not intermingle or one become contaminated with the other as they are delivered to the fabric or cloth.

It is another object of the invention to provide a plural color doctor knife for textile printing machines which has the pigment-containing chambers so disposed and separated from one another that they can be easily filled without spilling, when filling one chamber, over to another chamber, and wherein these chambers and the passages through the delivery plate are positively sealed from one another by means of the integrally cast dividing walls.

It is another object of the invention to provide in a plural color doctor knife for cloth printing machines which has a single shut off valve plate operable to discontinue the flow of the three pigments to the cloth by a single slide movement of the valve plate and a continuation of the flow of the pigments by a similar reverse move ment.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a plural color doctor knife for textile machines which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, easy to assemble, maintain and keep clean, durable, easy to mount on the machine, inexpensive, compact, effective and efficient in use.

For other objects and a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the doctor knife constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the doctor knife with portions thereof broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, with illustration made as to the location of the doctor knife within a pattern cylinder and in position to deposit pigment upon cloth or fabric being carried on a drum;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 to show the path of delivery of pigment from the upper chamber to the delivery plate;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to the sectional view shown in Fig. 3 for the path of the pigment flowing from one of the side'chambers;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. l and showing the delivery of pigment from the other side chamber.

Referring now to the figures, 10 represents the main body which has a Serpentine shaped middle portion 11 and upwardly and outwardly inclined sides 12 and 13.

Between the inclined side portion 12 and the middle portion 11 is one chamber 14 for containing one color pigment which will drain through holes 15 into the deliv- 2,800,075 Patented July 23, 1.957

ery plate 16 that has a plurality of longitudinally spaced partitions 17, certain of which have screw openings 18 for receiving screws 19. that retain a doctor blade 20 upon the plate'1'6.

Between the inclinedside portion 13 and the serpentine portion 11, there is. a, chamber 21 which will contain a pigment of another. color. The delivery plate 16 is secured to. the underbrace. of the main body 10 and fastened by screws 21. The pigment chamber 21 has a downwardly extending passage 22, Fig. 6. Alternate turns, of the serpentine portion .11 are enlarged, as indicated at 23, to provide threaded holes 24 and 25 through which screws 26 and 27 are secured to aflix a top chamber or trough 28 to the serpentine portion 11. This trough has holes 30 that are aligned with holes 31, Fig. 4, for delivery of a third pigment contained in the trough 28 to the delivery plate 16.

If desired, the trough 28 may be omitted for two-color printing, and for four color printing, the trough 28 can be provided with a serpentine portion similar to the serpentine portion 11 of the main body 10 and with appropriate openings in the portion 10 leading to delivery plate 16. Further troughs may be similarly built up.

A valve plate 32 is slidable in an elongated groove 33 in the bottom of the body 10. This valve has a de pending handle 34 on one end and is slidable 'as illustrated from a full line position, as shown in Fig. 2, to a dotted line position as indicated at 32'. This valve plate has a series of openings or holes 35, 36 and 37 adapted to register respectively with holes 15, 22 and 31 in the serpentine portion and in the bottom of body 10. This valve plate 32 has a tight fit in the groove 33 and when moved makes a sharp cut off of the different pigments being delivered from their respective chambers. All pigment supplies are simultaneously cut off and can be resumed upon return movement of the valve plate to the full line position.

Projecting from the opposite ends of the body 10 are projections 38 and 39 that respectively extend to the opposite sides of the printing machine to support the doctor knife within a pattern cylinder 40 having holes 41 through which the pigment is delivered to the surface of a cloth or fabric 42 being turned or driven by a roll or drum 43. The holes in the cylinder are arranged in alignment with the different portions of the delivery plate 16.

It will be apparent that this plural color doctor knife used for printing on cloth or fabric is formed of a minimum number of parts and wherein the pigment is positively controlled and wherein there is little chance of the different pigments intermingled with one another so that a positive and true color is always delivered to the surface of the cloth or fabric.

The doctor blade 20 can be readily removed to permit easy cleaning of the delivery plate. It is sharpened on its lower end as indicated at 20 so as to have close contact with the inner surface of the pattern cylinder and prevent any pigment from passing therebeyond.

It should be further apparent that there are only five principal parts to be cleaned when the entire knife is disassembled for color changes. These parts are the main body 10, the delivery plate 16, the doctor blade 20, the top trough 28 and the valve plate 32. All of the parts of the main body, such as the serpentine middle portion 11, the sides 12 and 13 and the chambers 14 and 15 are integrally cast to make the main body a unit so as to prevent intermingling by leakage of any one of the colors from its chamber to the chamber of any one of the colors. Likewise, the longitudinally-spaced partitions 18 of the plate 16 are integrally cast to prevent color intermingling as the pigment passes through the delivery plate 16.

While various changes may be made in the detail constructio'n, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What is claimed is: V V

A plural color doctor knife for cloth printing machines comprising an elongated trough-shaped main body having a bottom and an integral serpentine portion projecting inwardly therefrom, said serpentine portion running along 7 enlarged partitions further having drain holes leading 15 2,267,247

through the bottom, another trough-shaped body removably supported on the serpentine portion and having holes in registry with the drain holes in the enlarged partitions, a delivery plate mounted on the body bottom and having delivery passages aligned with the drain holes, longitudinally-slidable valve means on body bottom and associated with drain holes to control the flow of the pigment therefrom and a doctor blade on the delivery plate.

Refeten'cesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Rouse July 5, 1898 Thackeray Oct. 13, 1925 Megibow Dec. 23, 1941 

